The Snow Queen's Knight
by The Phantom Soldier
Summary: An AU WIR/Frozen Fic. A year after her coronation, Elsa invites another country to begin trading with Arendelle. But this new country carries familiar characters and an intriguing knight who knows what it's like to be shunned.
1. A Surprise on the Southern Winds

**_A/N: _**Hullo everyone! Welcome to my latest misadventure, _The Snow Queen's Knight_. This is an alternate universe Wreck-It Ralph/Frozen crossover fan fiction. And yes, THIS IS AN ICEBREAKER FIC.

This is my take on the crossover idea of these two and I sincerely hope all of you like it.

I dedicate this story to one of my very best friend's and my co-writer for this story, the lovely Ms. GND-KicaCris. Without her support, friendship and inspiration, I would never have gotten this started. Thank you so much!

**_The Snow Queen's Knight_**

An AU Wreck-It Ralph/Frozen Crossover Tale

Written by

**The Phantom Soldier**

Co-written by

**GND-KicaCris**

**_Chapter 1: A Surprise on the Southern Winds_**

"How long until we reach Arendelle, captain?" the princess asked, her tone one of building annoyance.

"Another day, sure as raven flies," the captain replied, his Russian accent laced with amusement at the princess's impatience.

The princess let out a groan of exasperation. "Tell me again why we had to take this massive turtle instead of one of the faster ships," she asked, her voice sounding annoyed.

She was right. The ship they sailed was a massive first rate man-o-war, boasting over one hundred guns on three decks and crewed by the best gunners in their navy. But despite boasting numerous sails across her three fully rigged masts, the ship was much slower than others.

Her advisor stepped forward, a gloved hand clasped over his lips as the rocking of the ship made him nauseous. "Now...your highness. Ulp...we needed to…ohhh nelly…bring as much…trade goods…as we could…Heavens…Plus…this is the flagship of the...gulp...navy and...Oh my land I feel sick...and we just want to...ulp...protect you."

The general laid a comforting hand on the advisor's shoulder, trying to steady him as the massive ship broke through the waves. "Sad to say he's right princess," she grinned. "While most pirate crews have moved to warmer climates, doesn't mean some stick around the colder waters."

The princess huffed again, casting a sideways glance over her shoulder. "Any pirate tries to capture this ship or me will have to go through my knight," she grinned; looking over at the man she had appointed her guardian. He was wiping down his greaves and vambraces, cleaning them up. He still left the minor dings and scratches embedded in them, battle scars of great encounters he had fought and survived.

"That may be Princess," the general said, "but we're not going to take any chances. Besides, we have a hull full to bursting with goodies and we're going to show Arendelle just how serious we are about this trade agreement."

The princess suddenly jumped up in joy at the mention of their destination. "I can't wait!" she cried, her dress hardly restricting her movement. "First thing I'm gonna do after the meeting is build a snowman!"

"I think it's the wrong time of the year for snow, kid," her knight said, not even looking up from his work, polishing his plating.

The princess turned and stuck her tongue out at her guardian. "We'll see who's right, Sir Stinkbrain!" she jeered.

The whole deck, sailors, captain, general, advisor, princess and knight alike erupted in laughter. They were on an adventure towards a new land and Lord alone knew what awaited them beyond the horizon and in Arendelle.

-X-X-X-X-X-

The next morning saw the sun rising on the prosperous kingdom of Arendelle, with merchants opening their doors, the town's people heading about their business and other's just enjoying the summer day. But nowhere was business being more attended to than in the library of the palace.

"In conclusion, your highness, the representatives of our new trading partner should be arriving in the next few days in order to finalize all of the arrangements." His report finished, the minister of trade returned to sitting in his chair, his posture remaining upright and professional while his face retained a warm smile.

"Thank you minister," the Queen replied softly, her sincere blue eyes showing the gratitude behind her words. "Is there any other business to discuss before we adjourn the meeting?"

Looking around the table, her gaze was met by a series of nods and a mixed chorus of "No, your highness" and "None, your majesty." Satisfied with the answers, the Queen smiled warmly to her cabinet.

"Thank you once again gentlemen, for your time and hard work," she said gratefully. "You tireless work helps ensure that our people are never wanting."

The ministers smiled at their Queen's praise, knowing she fully meant every word of it. To them, she was every bit the daughter of her mother and father, as courteous as the most experienced ambassador, as graceful as the winds of late autumn, and as sincere as the most affectionate heart. Truly they were blessed to serve such a Queen.

Collectively bowing at their waists, the gave their thanks to the Queen and made their way out of the palace library, knowing that the Queen usually followed her meetings with an afternoon of reading, perhaps indulging in the odd chocolate every now and then.

Once her ministers had filed out of the library, the Queen breathed a sigh of relief. Sweeping her purple cape to the side behind her, she collapsed into the plush chair, letting herself calm down. 'A little bit better each time,' she thought. 'I can do this. Mama and Papa believed in me.'

Drawing up her strength, Queen Elsa of Arendelle stood once more, allowing her cape to once again resume its place behind her as she strode away from the table. Dressed in her more regal dress as opposed to her usually icy trappings, she looked every part the young, industrious and beautiful Queen that every one of her people knew and loved. And she was only one year into what her people prayed would be a long and fruitful reign.

And so far, it had been. Despite her icy start the year previous, the kingdom of Arendelle had strengthened its ties with its trade partners (Weselton notwithstanding), saw its economy flourish thanks to the Queen's skills in diplomacy, and had even seen a rise in the ice business thanks to the ingenuity of the kingdom's royal ice master and the aid of his perpetually energetic girlfriend, Princess Anna.

Elsa reached the glass doors leading to the balcony overlooking the courtyard and offering an unrivaled view of the town and the sea. Looking towards the horizon, her thoughts turned to the impending arrival of her kingdom's new trade partner. She blushed slightly at the memory of precisely why they had had to find a new one. Though she did not regret her decision in the slightest, her choice to sever ties with Weselton had been made slightly in haste and its effects had not been readily clear to her. After several months, the kingdom began realizing that they were lacking several goods that Weselton had provided to them. When she had first realized what she had done, she nearly froze her entire room in ice due to anxiety. When Anna and Kristoff had finally calmed her down, Kristoff had suggested that she should ask the people what they thought.

Elsa immediately took to the idea, sending town criers out to call an informal meeting of the townspeople. When they had all gathered in the courtyard, Elsa walked among them, asking if they thought she had made a mistake and should perhaps rescind her decree, feeling extremely embarrassed and unsure of herself.

The answer she got was a unanimous 'No' voiced by everyone. They too remembered what the sneaky Duke of Weselton had tried to pull. They spoke as one saying they could do without the goods that that kingdom had provided, preferring to abstain rather than invite back a place that had nearly robbed them of their Queen.

Following that meeting, Elsa excused herself from her sister and friends and made her way to her bedroom. Once there, she let herself cry tears of happiness: happiness at knowing her people, her friends and her sister loved and accepted her despite her powers.

However, she was still determined to see that her kingdom wanted for nothing, and the following day she had gathered her ministers to start looking for possible kingdoms to replace the gap in trade that Weselton had created. And now, here they were a few months later, ready to receive guests from a large nation far to the south, in order to finalize a trade agreement that would prove beneficial to both sides.

Standing out on the balcony, letting the warm summer wind and the scent of salt from the ocean kiss her smooth alabaster cheeks, Elsa could not help but feel a twinge of anxiety mixed with curiosity. She wondered about her coming guests. Despite her research and correspondence with other trade partners, she knew very little about what to expect from them. Despite supposedly being an empire, they were as much a mystery to her as Arendelle had been to its trade partners a year ago.

Still, she forced herself to calm down, hugging herself with her gloved hands, as though she were trying to chase away the nervous feelings with warmth. Despite Anna trying to get her to do otherwise, Elsa still wore her gloves whenever she was dressed more regally. Elsa argued that it was more for the style of it rather than any fear of freezing things by accident, but both sisters knew that deep down, Elsa still had her lingering fears.

The sound of laughter broke her from the spell of her thoughts. Looking down into the courtyard, Elsa immediately spied the source: her sister Anna, riding atop the mighty reindeer Sven, as Kristoff lead them both into the center of the courtyard.

Elsa smiled at the sight of it. After the fiasco with Prince Hans, she had been wary of any other boys that Anna might present her with, but knowing how Kristoff had helped her during the spell of Winter, she couldn't help but like him. He seemed a better match for Anna than the Prince could ever hope to have been. He, Sven and lovable Olaf were her family now.

Peering closely, Elsa spied something that gave her pause: Anna was wearing a blindfold. Her curiosity piqued, Elsa stepped backwards on the balcony, obscuring her from view in case either of them looked up.

'I wonder what they're up to,' she mused as she watched Kristoff help Anna down from Sven with a lift from his well-toned arms.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Alright Kristoff, where have you brought me?" Anna asked, a playful smile on her face as she poked at the blindfold around her eyes. She was wondering what her boyfriend had up his sleeve. "Is this another attempt to get me to go ice-fishing?"

"Just hang on Anna," Kristoff Bjorgman said, boasting a grin so wide it nearly split his face. He let Anna wander about blindly for a few moments while he got himself ready. He walked over to Sven, scratching his faithful reindeer behind his antlers, giving him a smile. "Well, here goes nothing old buddy," he whispered.

Sven reached forward and licked his friend across the face, a gesture of good luck on the reindeer's part. Kristoff merely smiled and wiped his face, taking a deep breath before he turned back to Anna. "Alright Anna, you can take off the blindfold now," he said.

Anna quickly tore the blindfold off, looking around her quickly, causing her braid to fly around her head. When she immediately noticed that they were in the courtyard of the palace, she turned to look at her boyfriend with a look that seemed a mixture of annoyance and confusion. "Uhm...Kristoff? Why?" she asked, her foot tapping on the stones of the courtyard.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Well...I didn't want to drag you all the way to Oaken's trading post just so he could tell you I couldn't come in. So I figured here was better than a random spot in the wilderness."

Anna quirked an eyebrow at the ice master, feeling completely lost. "Kristoff, you're making less sense than that idea you had about making a metal box full of ice so food can be kept cold," she said, her tone still sounding mildly annoyed. "Just what is it you're trying to say?"

"That was a good idea and it would have worked if Olaf hadn't annoyed the blacksmith," Kristoff defended.

"Whatever," she huffed, looking him over again. "What's the point of all this?" She gestured around herself in a sweeping motion.

Kristoff shifted back and forth on his feet, looking like he was choosing his words carefully. What Anna couldn't help but notice was how he was keeping his right hand in his pocket. "Well I...uhm...well...y'know...it's been a year now...and...uhm...yeah...see..." he said in his cute stuttering manner.

Her patience wearing thin, Anna threw her hands up in the air and stared at him. "Kristoff, just spit it out already!"

Kristoff drew himself up to his full height and looked back at the redhead he loved so much. 'I can do this,' he thought confidently. Taking in one more deep breath, he looked right into Anna's eyes with determination. "Princess Anna of Arendelle," he said as he dropped down to one knee. From his pocket, he withdrew a slim golden ring that was topped by a crystal of green, red and yellow, the same colors worn by his family. "Will...will you marry me?"

Anna stood stock still, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the ring being offered to her. In all of her wildest dreams, she had never expected Kristoff would be the one to propose to her, especially not after the last time she'd asked where things were going and he somehow 'accidentally' wound up with his face shoved into a pie. But here he was on bended knee, asking her to marry him.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Elsa couldn't believe her eyes. Kristoff was asking Anna to marry him. Even more worrisome, she found herself praying that Anna would say yes.

A year ago, she would have been resolutely opposed to any thoughts of Anna getting married, but she'd matured a lot over the year, and Elsa had seen the two grow close. And honestly, she didn't care if Kristoff wasn't of noble blood. She knew he had a noble heart and that he truly loved Anna, and that was good enough for the Queen.

'C'mon Anna,' she mentally prayed. 'Give him your answer...'

-X-X-X-X-X-

A minute had passed by and Anna still hadn't given her answer. Her mind was racing seven ways from Sunday and she was trying to keep herself calm.

Across from her, the smile on Kristoff's face was beginning to drop. 'Maybe she doesn't want to,' he thought worriedly, hoping she would give him some kind of answer soon because the waiting was killing him.

"Yes," he suddenly heard, his eyes looking up to Anna with unbridled hope blazing in them.

"Anna?"

"Yes, Yes, YES, YES YEEEES! OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU YOU ROCK HEADED MAN!" she cheered, launching herself at him and tackling him to the ground, despite her lighter frame and his stronger build.

Kristoff had no time to prepare himself as Anna bent down and captured his lips for a deep kiss. Reflexively, his arms snaked around her waist, keeping her there as they shared the kiss for quite some time.

When they finally broke the kiss, Anna sat back, still straddling Kristoff's chest and leaking down at him with a triumphant smirk. Kristoff returned her smirk, gingerly taking her left hand into his and sliding the ring onto her finger. She admired the ring on her finger before she looked back down at her now fiancé. "You sure you know what you're getting yourself into?" she asked.

Kristoff chuckled, lifting her up on his chest a little. "Anna, if I didn't know what I was getting myself into then I've wasted a year of valuable time."

Anna playfully slapped him in the shoulder, looking down at him with a playful pout. "Jerk," she said softly.

"Brat," he countered back with a smile.

Anna stood up and let Kristoff stand up from the ground. She immediately clasped his hands in hers and began pulling him towards the palace entrance. "C'mon! We gotta go tell Elsa!"

Kristoff has a sudden look of terror in his eyes as he dug his heels into the stones. "El-Elsa?" he stuttered. "You're-ahhh...you're sure you want to tell her right...now?"

His hesitance struck a chord with the princess anD she immediately stopped her pulling. "Actually... now that you mention it...Maybe we should wait a little... especially after last time."

Little did Anna and Kristoff know, Queen Elsa was already way ahead of them.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Elsa smiled as she watched her sister hug the man she loved around his neck, swinging around and around in utter happiness. She wandered back into the library, alone except for her thoughts.

Despite how happy she felt for Anna in that moment, she couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy in her heart. It wasn't that she was jealous of Anna snagging Kristoff, it wasn't that at all. It was jealousy of Anna having something she doubted she'd ever have: true love beyond family.

She looked down at her gloved hands, feeling tears starting to well up at the corners of her eyes, cursing the powers she had been born with once more. The powers that had almost killed her sister twice and had nearly destroyed her kingdom.

Elsa sighed deeply, her thoughts once again turning to her future. Since the entire debacle the previous year and despite having met several other royals from other kingdoms who attempted to play the suitor, they all either revealed themselves to be frightened of her powers or playing the same game as the despicable Prince Hans. She found that her prospects of ever marrying were slimmer than her waistline. She would remain a virgin queen while Kristoff and Anna married, had children, and then one day the throne would pass to Anna and her happy little family. Elsa would simply be the loving aunt, forever unwed.

She turned around, staring through the glass out at the ocean. She took a deep breath before sighing deeply once again. 'Maybe,' she mused sadly. 'Maybe there's someone out there for me, just beyond the horizon. Someone who can look past my powers, past my title, and just try to see me for who I am...'

'Ah, but who am I really?' she wondered sadly. 'I'm a queen, I have these powers, but who am I beyond that?'

She pulled her gloves from her hands, placing them on the panes of glass, not even caring as they began to frost over. 'Please,' she prayed. 'All I ask for is someone who understands. Someone who knows what it's like. Someone who can…love me.'

The door to the library suddenly burst open with a thunderous crack. Elsa whipped around, expecting to see Anna barreling in, but her brow knit in confusion when she saw that it was one of the palace guards, who proceeded to snap to attention. "Forgive me your highness," he said promptly. "But the guards in the watchtowers have signaled that they've spotted a sail on the horizon. It's on course with Arendelle, your majesty.

Elsa momentarily forgot her depressing thoughts as a cold lump of dread suddenly formed in her stomach. "A sail?" she echoed worriedly.

When the guard gave a precise nod of his head, Elsa spun around to walk back onto the balcony. 'They can't be here this early, can they?' she dreaded. In her hands, she quickly formed a telescope, shaping the ice in such a way as to form the flawless lenses needed for magnification. As she peered through it, her breath caught in her throat.

It was indeed a ship, and even at the distance it was at she could still tell it was a large one. The hull was painted in a mixture of jet black and forest green horizontal stripes, leading up to billowing sails painted in red & white vertical stripes. When her gaze took her to the top of the mainmast, she confirmed her worst fears. Flying from the mainmast was a blue flag, upon which the center sat the emblem of a candy-striped shield marked with an ornate letter 'S', flanked on one side by a mighty steed rearing up on its hind legs while the other side was guarded by the silhouette of a rearing wolf.

Elsa felt her stomach drop. 'They're early?' she thought worriedly, her mind already running with all of the necessary preparations they'd need to make. She turned around to the guard who had informed her of the incoming vessel.

"Please, move as quickly as you can through the palace and inform everyone that are guests are coming," she said, trying to keep her voice from cracking with panic. "Inform the staff to ready rooms, to prepare the throne room, send other guards to alert the other posts to prepare to welcome our guests."

"Yes your majesty," the guard said, bowing at the waist before turning on his heel and walking briskly out of the room, setting about the task the queen had given him.

Elsa pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to quell the mounting headache. 'They weren't due for another few days,' she thought worriedly. 'This is going to be a disaster. The palace isn't ready, we haven't had time to prepare, there's so much to do. They're going to think we aren't serious about this trade agreement and that we completely wasted their time.' The more she worried about it, the more ice began forming around her in jagged formations that gave away her anxiety.

"Elsa?" said a voice behind her.

The queen nearly jumped into the air, shocked out of her nervous thoughts by the sudden interruption. When she spun around, she saw no one at first, but then her gaze travelled down to the telltale permanent snow cloud that preserved Olaf, the ever friendly snowman who was wearing a smile beneath his carrot nose.

"Oh, it's just you Olaf," Elsa said, slightly clutching her chest to calm her beating heart. She returned his smile the best she could, though she still felt extremely nervous.

"Yup it's me!" he said cheerfully, contrasting the anxious mood she found herself in. Olaf had a penchant for being able to ignore any perceivable danger around him because he was usually so blissfully optimistic, even remaining blind to the angry formations of ice forming out from Elsa's feet. "Just wanted to see how the best queen in the world was doing today!"

Elsa momentarily forgot her conundrum thanks to the snowman's cheery demeanor. "Thank you Olaf," she said quietly. "And I'm not doing very well today."

Olaf's eyes went wide. "What?!" he asked, his voice sounding slightly anguished. "What's got you so down Elsa? What can I do to help? Will jokes help? I learned one from a man on the dock the other day..."

Elsa held up her hands in a slowing gesture. "It's alright Olaf," she said, trying to calm him. "It's just that I learned we're going to have guests very soon and we haven't had time to prepare."

The snowman's eyes seemed to brighten up. "Guests? Guests?! Are these the guests who are coming to replace that weasel guy?" he asked excitedly, hopping around on his stubby feet.

The queen couldn't help but giggle at his phrasing. "Yes Olaf, the very same guests," she replied.

"Well then what's wrong?" he asked, his eyes full of concern. "I thought you'd be happy they're arriving."

"I am Olaf, but it's just that I'm worried because it's on such a short notice," she said, looking away. "I'm worried that if we're not ready by the time they arrive, they won't take us seriously and they'll withdraw their trade offer."

"They won't do that!" Olaf crowed, looking up at the queen. "You told me they come from a warmer climate, so that means they must give great warm hugs! And nobody who gives great warm hugs can't possibly worry over some missing banners and decorations!"

Elsa sighed, finding the snowman's naivety refreshing. "I...guess you're right Olaf, but we still need to prepare."

"Well what can I do to help?" Olaf asked, bright-eyed and ready for action.

She smiled down at him, glad he was always ready to help. "The first thing you can do is go out onto that balcony and tell Anna and Kristoff to prepare themselves. Oh, and Olaf? Don't tell them I saw them, okay?"

Olaf looked up at her with a look of confusion. "Uhm...okaaaaaay?"

Elsa thought up a little white lie to tell her little friend. "Anna and I are playing a complicated game of hide-and-go-seek, and it wouldn't do to let her spot me now, right?" she said, giving him a conspiratorial wink.

"Right right right!" Olaf replied, accepting the answer given to him, he bolted past Elsa to push through the balcony doors, calling down excitedly to his friends below.

Elsa smiled, allowing herself a moment of peace before she strode out of the library, her thoughts returning to the rush of events she knew was coming. She had much to do and very little time to do it.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Anna burst into her room with Kristoff following closely at her heels. After the two of them had been thoroughly hugged by Olaf, they were told of the impending arrival. Anna, still energized by Kristoff asking her to marry him, had practically flown to her room, eager to impress the coming nobles before announcing her engagement to Elsa.

She dove into her closet as Kristoff sat upon her bed, still riding the wave of euphoria and relief that came with having Anna accept his proposal. He knew his family was going to be rolling for days when he told them of it, but he was truly happy. Nothing could take this victory from him.

"Kristoff!" Anna yelled, still digging through her closet. "Where's my Lilly dress?"

'Well that didn't last long,' he thought amusedly. He looked over to his fiancé with a smile on his face. "I think that one is still recovering from our last little 'adventure.'"

Anna stopped digging through her various dresses for just a moment, a very becoming blush coloring her beautiful face. She recalled the night in question quite well and just how much of an 'adventure' it had been for the both of them.

She cast a seductive eye over her shoulder at the blond man sitting on her bed. "You really need to know your own strength, ice driver," she said with a slight sultry tint to her tone.

"From what I remember, your hands were busier than mine that night," he replied, a roguish grin crossing his lips.

"Oh hush!" she spat back, pretending to be annoyed. They're intimate adventures proved more intriguing and engaging each time. She just prayed that Elsa wouldn't catch on to their fun. "Anyway, why don't you go wash up? You'll be present at the welcoming and I'd like my fiancé to be presentable and not smell like reindeer and moss."

"Uhm...How do you expect me to do that?" he asked. "If they're as close as Olaf said they were, then by the time a bath's ready they'll be here."

"Then just go wash in that little stream behind the castle like you always do," she said with a smile.

"How do you know about that?" Kristoff asked, his eyes going wide in horror.

"One of the chambermaids saw you bathing in it one day a few months ago," Anna said coquettishly. "I decided to see for myself and I've been watching your cute behind ever since."

Kristoff blushed at having had his secret bathing spot found out and at having been watched by his fiancé doing it. "I'm...gonna go wash up and change," he said shyly, making his way towards the door.

"You do that Kristoff," Anna said, her smile still delightfully smug and perverse. "Now where did I put the dress from the coronation?" She resumed her attempts at unearthing a suitable dress.

-X-X-X-X-X-

After the better part of two hours the massive ship passed through entrance of the harbor and entered the fjord that was Arendelle's harbor. Fishermen, sailors and citizens of the town looked on in wonder, having never seen such a leviathan before. They could only wonder what riches lay within its hold, what power slumbered behind its closed gun ports, and what exotic citizens it bore to their humble land. Smaller vessels behind it saw the warship's name across the stern. Framed by elegantly carved wood and written in exquisite gold was the name _Jawbreaker_.

Reading signals from the harbor master, the ship was directed towards the largest berth that the harbor of Arendelle had. As the sailors aboard the massive vessel began casting out mooring lines to the men waiting on the dock, they grinned from ear to ear as they overheard the heated debate going on behind them between the princess and her knight.

"Do I have to?" asked the knight.

"Yes," replied the princess, a smile lighting up her face.

"Why?"

"'Cause I said so."

"But wouldn't it be better if I-"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

The knight heaved a long suffering sigh and left to find his quarters, having been ordered out of his more ornate formal coat and shirt and into his armor plating. "Seriously, aren't we trying to befriend these people, not scare them?" he asked over his shoulder before disappearing down the hatch.

The general laughed as she watched the knight retreat, smiling down at the princess. "He never was much for following orders when he was in my corps," she said with a laugh. "Then again, he never had the discipline that my corps demands."

The minister of trade laid a hand on the general's. "Now now, honey," he said in his calming voice. "He may not have been cut out for your troops, but he's still a good man who can always do the right thing."

The general looked down at the minister and flashed him a look somewhere between a smile and a sneer. "I swear half-pint, you're so sweet and soft that sometimes I wonder how you sweet-talked me into marriage," she said in her dry humor.

He met her smile with one of his own. "'Cause you're my gunpowder gal and I love you with all of my heart," he said without a second thought.

The general leaned over and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "You could charm a cobra right of its skin,"

"BLECH! Could you two quit it with that lovey-dovey guff already?" the princess whined, thoroughly not enjoying their display.

The clank and thud of armored feet alerted them to the knight's return. He rose up from the hatch, his helm appearing first as the rest of his powerful frame followed. The princess smiled appreciatively, glad he did as she asked.

"Alright, I'm all dressed up," he said through his helm, his voice having gained a metallic ring to it. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," the princess said smugly. "Let's go make some new friends."

She turned just as the gangplank landed on the deck of the ship, allowing her and her companions to dismount and meet the waiting diplomats.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Elsa sat primly atop her throne, waiting patiently as Anna and Kristoff stood by her side while her ministers lined the carpet leading toward her throne. Elsa was still clad in her regal dress, her hands still gloved. She'd had no time to change into something more elegant while she was busy directing what preparations she could in the short time they'd had. A small part of her mind had urged her to just have it out and present herself as the alluring ice queen, but she'd clamped down on the rogue notion immediately as she did not want to give the representatives the wrong impression of her.

The majority of the room was empty. Elsa had opted not to have the population informed because she knew it would have clogged the path to the palace. She felt guilty about keeping her people in the dark, but she silently promised herself she'd arrange a more formal introduction to the delegates later.

For the moment, she kept herself from growing tense by watching Anna and Kristoff out of the corner of her eye, the two of them stealing glances at each other like they were young children. She couldn't have been happier for Anna, but she had a duty to her people first.

A throat being cleared brought her back to reality and her anxiety returned with her as the court herald made ready to announce the entrance of the delegates. Outwardly, she looked every part the calm and collected Queen. On the inside, she felt like her heart was going to give out from worry.

The herald stood up straight as he readied his introductions. Every head in the room turned toward the door through which they would enter.

"Now presenting, the representatives of the Sugarsian Empire, Lord Felix Réparez.

A short but handsome and well groomed brown-haired man entered the room, an optimistic smile on his face. He was dressed in a well-tailored blue coat with a matching waistcoat and trousers. He quickly strode towards the throne and bowed at his waist.

"It is an honor to meet you, your majesty," he said politely.

Elsa returned his smile. "The honor is mine, Lord Réparez," she said.

He was about to continue when the herald began speaking again. "Introducing, the commander of the Sugarsian Army, General Tamora Calhoun Réparez."

Elsa and Anna briefly looked at each other before looking towards Lord Felix, who was maintaining his bow. Through the door strode a short haired blond woman who looked to stand as tall as Kristoff. Her leather boots were well worn but polished, leading up to military cut trousers and a tunic that hugged her buxom form like a glove. Across her abdomen and trailing her hips were four matched pistols, held in place by weathered holsters. But what truly drew everyone's gaze was the eyes set in her lovely face, eyes that seemed capable of cold logic and warm affection all at once.

The general bowed at her waist before Queen Elsa, their eyes locking with one another as the general grinned. "Thank you very much for having us in your kingdom, your highness," she said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see Anna and Kristoff trying to subtly figure out why the minister and the general had the same last name, but she pushed that mystery aside for later. "You honor me with your gratitude general," she spoke kindly.

The herald opened his mouth for the final announcement. "Introducing, the heir to the throne of Sugarsia, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz and her personal knight, Sir Ralph of Wreckingham."

The door opened fully and two figures entered. The first was a girl who couldn't have been more than ten years old. Her pale cherubic face was framed by her raven black hair tied in elaborate twisting braids around her head. She shuffled forward in the light green dress she wore, lifting the blooming lace skirt of it with her hands as she made her way in.

Behind her came a figure that did not walk so much as he lumbered. The man who shadowed the tiny girl had to be a full seven feet tall and a half again as wide as Kristoff. His head was encased in a cylindrical helm like that of the crusades while his neck was shrouded by what could only have been a wolf skin. The pauldrons atop his broad shoulders and heavily muscled arms were dented but clean, patterned to look like metallic brickwork, while his metal gauntleted hands looked as though they could easily crush a man's skull with their size alone. His chest wore naught but a cloth bearing the symbol of Sugarsia's flag as chain mail rattled beneath it. Each step he took of his greave clad feet sent a small tremor through the room.

Every eye of Arendelle in the room opened wide in awe and slight terror as they suddenly wondered just what exactly Queen Elsa had invited into their kingdom.

-X-X-X-X-X-

**Reviews and constructive criticism is especially appreciated!**


	2. Interrupted Introductions

**_A/N:_** Godfrey Lijah! Just one chapter and I get over ten reviews as well as twenty plus faves and twenty plus follows! To everyone who has read this story so far and given it such support, I am truly humbled. I cannot adequately express how grateful I am for each and every one of you.

Now then, I'm sorry this took so long to get done, but life can be a really tough slog some days. I want you all to know that I will keep updating this fic, but I might be a tad slow about it, but I ask for your continued patience and support. However, I can keep all of you apprised of progress being made on each chapter (and to assure you all that I'm continuing) over on my Tumblr page, . Depending on the following, I may even give slight sneak-peeks into future chapters, provided my Co-writer agrees.

Also, just like my help on **_Sugar Queen_**, I read and appreciate your reviews. Please take the time to write them after you've read because it helps me know I'm doing well.

Also, slight mistake on my part last chapter. Yes, Lord Felix Réparez IS Princess Vanellope's advisor. I failed to clarify that adequately.

Additionally, if you guys start seeing what could be subtle and/or over the top references, please feel free to call them out!

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's get on with the show!

Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen are © of Walt Disney Animation

**_The Snow Queen's Knight_**

An AU Wreck-It Ralph/Frozen Crossover Tale

Written by

**The Phantom Soldier**

Co-written by

**GND-KicaCris**

**_Chapter 2: Interrupted Introductions_**

Elsa gaped in awe as the tall knight and the princess came closer. She briefly glanced at everyone's expressions, noticing the nervous and frightened whispers of the court, and gulped heavily while grasping her hands tightly. 'It's okay, it's perfectly normal for a princess to have a personal knight and to bring him with her...' she thought.

The closer they got, the taller the man seemed. 'It's for her security, right? Though it's not like we could attack her or...wait, do they...oh no, maybe they know about what I did last year...' she thought worriedly. Elsa began to feel anxious again just when the young princess stopped in front of her.

Princess Vanellope curtsied in front of the queen, flashing her a beautiful smile. Behind her, the mountainous knight dropped to one knee and bowed his ironclad head in a similar display of respect. All around them was silent, as though everyone was still trying to figure out just what was beneath the plates and mail the knight was wearing.

"A pleasure to finally meet you Queen Elsa," the princess said, her voice polite but seeming to be fighting a smile. "I hope you do not mind that I brought my knight along with me."

Elsa smiled back at the royal child but her brow was still furrowed with pent up anxiety. "Not at all your highness," she said as she eyed the knight and then immediately bowed respectfully to the child. "I greatly welcome you and your people to our kingdom. I'm so grateful for your visit. Was the voyage pleasant?" Her gloved fingers refused to be untangled from her own grasp.

"I think your sister is nervous," Kristoff whispered to Anna. "Look at her hands."

Anna elbowed her fiancé in the ribs to shut him up, following it up with a glare. "Well I would be too if I was in front of that man."

"Smooth seas and helpful winds the whole way here," Princess Vanellope said brightly, her smile as infectious as it was darling.

Though the Queen returned her smile, she still found her gaze drawn to the knight in front of her. She had never seen a man as massive as the knight in front of her. Not an inch of skin was showing on his body as he maintained his kneeling position in front of her. Eventually, Vanellope quirked her head to the side and followed Elsa's line of sight.

"Something wrong your majesty," she asked innocently, wondering why her knight was so interesting to the queen.

Elsa jumped a little, startled by the child's sudden question. "I uhm..." she glanced again at the large and still silent man. "May I ask, with all due respect your highness, is everything alright with your...knight?"

"Huh?" Vanellope asked, quirking an eyebrow up at the queen, looking between her knight and the monarch. "What makes you ask that?"

Elsa quickly tried to reformulate her words. She could sense that some in the room were tense from the knight's appearance, but she didn't want to sound disrespectful to her guests. "It's just...well he seems to be wearing such a heavy looking set of armor and I just thought...well since you're in the castle now, which is the most secure place in the kingdom, I don't think it's necessary for your knight to be clad and ready for battle." Her eyes softened as she looked at the helmet of the man. "I can assure you, Sir Wreckingham, Princess Vanellope is safe here in Arendelle...you have my word." She bowed her head and smiled nervously.

"Thank you Queen Elsa," came the metallic ring of the knight's voice. His helm turned to look down at the little princess. "See? I told you this was a bad idea."

"Ah shaddap ya big cry baby!" the princess rebuked, planting her hands on her tiny hips. "If you're so annoyed by it then ya can take your helmet off."

Elsa chuckled lightly, the display reminding her of the fights she and Anna had had when they were children. The crowd seemed to relax a little upon seeing the queen less nervous about the knight.

"It's really alright Sir Wreckingham, please do," she said encouragingly.

Without another word, the knight put his hands on his helmet and pulled it free of his head before tucking it under his arm. Once it was secured, he looked up at the queen with gratitude shining in his eyes.

To the queen's surprise, her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks took on a slight rosy hue. He was handsome in a very rough and masculine way, with a strong square jaw, a touch of scruff occupying his lower face and wild spiky auburn hair. He looked to be slightly older than her, but his brown chocolate eyes looked much older, almost weary with years of wisdom and yet his smile was as pure as the smile of the princess. She found herself unable to dart her eyes away from his, and she could clearly feel her heart beating near the top of her throat.

Now that his vision was unobscured by the helmet, Ralph could clearly see the queen for the beauty she was. A face like that of an angel, framed by her pale blond hair. Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to let his gaze travel any lower because he was enraptured by her beautiful blue eyes...Eyes that seemed to hold the promise of winter in the most comforting way possible. He was glad for the chainmail covering his chest, as he was afraid that otherwise his heart would surely have escaped if it weren't there.

"Heeeeey, he's not that bad looking," Anna whispered to Kristoff.

"Your sister seems to think the same," he said with a knowing smirked.

"What?! No way! Oh my lord Kristoff, she's BLUSHING! I have never seen her blushing," Anna squealed quietly, prompting Kristoff to cover her mouth his own large hand to keep her quiet.

The Queen and the Knight stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, trying to find something, anything to say. Finally, it was Vanellope who broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"So Queen Elsa...how often does your kingdom see any snow?" she asked innocently.

Elsa returned to reality with a jolt, completely thrown by the princess's question. "Wha- excuse me?" she asked as she shook her head and looked at the small girl with an eyebrow arched ever so slightly in anxiety.

Ralph immediately fixed the princess with a glare. "Vanellope, remember that we talked about this?" he asked, his tone holding an underlying edge.

'Snow? Is she referring to last year?' Elsa's anxiety began to build up again.

"I'm sorry princess, I misheard the question," she said kindly even as she forced a smile. "Except for higher up in the mountains, Arendelle won't see any snow until winter comes. Why do you ask?"

Vanellope looked crestfallen, kicking at the floor beneath her dress. "I guess it's alright," she said, with a bit of a pout on her lips. "I was just really hoping to build a snowman after we conclude the agreement, that's all."

Sir Ralph looked up at the queen with an apologetic smile. "Forgive her your majesty," he said softly. "Sometimes Princess Vanellope lets her excitement get away from her."

Elsa's heart twitched with guilt as she took in the child's pouting expression. "It's alright. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want so perhaps you may see the snow sooner than you expect," she said without really thinking.

"Did she just…?" Anna giggled.

"This is adorable," Kristoff had to bite his lip to not laugh out loud.

Elsa suddenly realized what she had said and fought the urge to clasp her hands over her mouth. "I mean," she blushed, glancing at the knight and then at the princess. "If you would like to, that is."

Ralph couldn't help but smile at her candor. "Careful your highness," he said. "Vanellope will take anything you say and run twenty leagues with it."

Elsa couldn't help it as her blush intensified and her heartbeat sped up while she nervously giggled back at his smile. How was it possible for a seven foot tall knight to seem so scary and yet act so gentle? Unbeknownst to her, her emotions were making the fingertips of her gloves began to turn white with frost.

"As-as our future allies, I-I just wish for all of you to have a pleasant stay in our kingdom," she stammered, forcing her eyes away from the knight and smiling gently at the young princess.

"Well thank ye kindly your majesty," Lord Felix said, completely oblivious to what was happening. "We aim to make our stay mutually beneficial while forging a long lasting partnership."

Elsa turned to look at the shorter man, half thankful for the conversation to be focused once again on more political matters. "Agreed Lord Réparez. "You really don't understand how grateful we are for you to have accepted to come and start the negotiations on such short notice. Since last year Arendelle has gone through a lot of changes and difficulties...but thankfully we have prevailed."

Lord Réparez looked ready to say something else to help move the political matters forward, when another distraction made its way into the throne room.

"HAVE THEY ARRIVED YET?! Have the guests arrived?!"

All eyes in the room turned to the source of the noise as Olaf the snowman came running into the throne room.

The court gasped and whispered around them as the four guests gaped at what looked like a talking snowman.

"Olaf!" Anna shouted while Kristoff slammed his palm against his forehead. In their haste to get as much as they could in order before the delegates arrived they had completely forgotten to tell Olaf to stay in hiding until further notice. The queen paled immediately and glanced nervously at her surroundings.

Vanellope's eyes locked onto the walking talking snowman like a star in the night. "Is...is that a talking snowman?" she asked, not daring to believe her own eyes.

Elsa breathed erratically, her anxiety rapidly taking over her and making her unable to say a single word.

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs! Oh Elsa you were right, they do seem like the kind of people who could give warm hugs, 'specially him!" The tiny snowman pointed with his wooden hand at the confused knight. "Wow! You're big like Marshmallow! Isn't he, Elsa?" he asked her innocently as he always did but Elsa only gripped her chest with her hands.

Kristoff was the first to react as he quickly walked over to Olaf and swiftly scooped him up as if he weighted nothing. "Wow," he said with a nervous laugh. "Sorry about this your grace, the kitchen boy, you know him, always playing with flour. This is not a good time Olaf pal." He faked a smile and began to back off with Olaf under his arm. "So very sorry, your grace."

"Wait wait wait!" Vanellope cried out, her eyes looking like the answers to all her prayers had been been answered at once. "How is he alive? His name is Olaf? When was he made? How is he alive in the summer? Can I have one?"

Anna came quickly to Kristoff's aid, blocking the view to hide the talking snowman in her fiancé's arms. "Uhm hi! I'm Princess Anna," she said, bowing awkwardly and quickly. "…and this is Kristoff and no, this is in no way a talking snowman." She faked another large smile. "'Cause that would be crazy and impossible, right? This little guy here is just a kid whole likes to joke around the castle, right everybody?" She looked around her and to her surprise the court nodded with her with matching nervous smiles. It was funny how everyone in the kingdom was used to the antics of the royal family.

Elsa, however, didn't notice. Panic had taken hold of her and her palms were now covered with frost.

Felix and the General looked at each other, knowing exactly where this was going. They both knew the Princess's eyes were too keen to miss something like a talking snowman. Felix stepped forward to try and help but was quickly stopped when he felt his wife's hand latch onto his shoulder. Looking up, he saw her lips curl into a smile that spelled seven shades of trouble.

Vanellope narrowed her eyes at the other princess. "Nice to meet ya Anna," she said, "but can I pleeeeeaaaase see that talking snowman, please?" She even batted her eyelashes and clasped her hands together to increase her cuteness.

It was now Anna and Kristoff's turn to panic, as they looked at each other not knowing what to answer to the younger and very curious princess. "I'm so sorry, your highness but you see, he's not-"

"Oh don't give me that!" she said, her brow furrowing in annoyance as she stomped a foot in petulance. "I noticed the little snowcloud floating above his head, y'know! You're gonna tell me THAT'S some kind of kitchen child hybrid or something too? I don't think so. Now let's see him!"

Elsa decided that this was just too much to handle. "Princess Vanellope!" Elsa suddenly snapped sternly, earning everyone's attention back to her again. Silence engulfed the throne room as the whole crowd turned to look at the monarch and then gasped in shock upon seeing her. "I beg your pardon princess, but-" she began with a quivering voice and fog coming from her lips as she continued to speak, "I'm truly sorry about this but I can assure you, there is nothing the be afraid of…" she was beginning to smile until Anna's voice brought her back to reality.

"El-Elsa...Elsa! Elsa!" Anna repeated urgently.

"What Anna?!" Elsa hissed, glaring at her sister, and that's when she noticed it; the floor beneath her feet was frozen.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the floor, watching as the ice grew outwards more and more. From the other ministers present to the representatives of Sugarsia, everyone was silent as a tomb at the sight of Elsa's display.

'No! No! No! No! This can't be happening!' She looked at her gloved hands in horror. This had never happened before, her gloves were supposed to always restrain her powers. Why was this happening?! Why today? Why in front of these dignitaries? Flashes of what had happened a year ago spun through her mind and she suddenly didn't wish to look at the expression on the princess and her company's faces. The ice under her feet continued to grow as her emotions twisted and stormed inside of her. She could feel it, the powers inside of her roaring and demanding to be let go. 'No, not here, I can't let this get any worse!'

She turned around towards the doors and took a deep breath. "I'm truly sorry about this but I'm afraid I must…tend to something...if you'll excuse me..." She didn't wait for anyone to respond as she strode with hurried steps and left the room with tears streaming down her porcelain face.

The throne room was silent for a moment before Vanellope snuck behind Anna and Kristoff. "AH HA! I KNEW IT WAS A TALKING SNOWMAN!" she crowed triumphantly.

Olaf escaped Kristoff's hands and jumped down, wrapping Vanellope up in a hug. "Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" he said in his trademark greeting.

Vanellope was happy to return the hug. "This. Is. AWESOME!"

"OLAF!" Anna hissed, not at all pleased with how things had just gone.

Olaf and Vanellope both looked up before looking back at each other. "RUN!" Olaf yelled, and Vanellope didn't need to be told twice. Holding his stick hand, the two took off as fast their legs could carry them.

"YOU TWO GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Anna shouted, stomping her foot in outrage before taking off in pursuit, dragging Kristoff behind her.

The ministers, unsure of how to proceed, decided to retire from the throne room in a dignified manner, silently agreeing that the rest of the negotiations would take place later. For a moment, Genral Calhoun, Lord Felix and Sir Ralph were left alone in the silence. Ralph took a moment to look at Calhoun and Felix, heaving a long-suffering sigh even as he formed a tired smile. "What's the score this time General?" he asked.

Calhoun blew a bang out of her eyes. "She lasted all of two minutes this time," the general said with a chuckle.

"Jeepers," Felix said, pressing a handkerchief to his forehead to dab away the sweat. "I hope we haven't jeopardized the trade agreement. And it looks like Queen Elsa got spooked by something other than just a magic snowman."

"I don't know about that," Ralph said. "But you guys go tie down the princess before the redheaded one finds out how bad of an idea it is trying to murder her."

"And what about you, Sir Ralph?" Calhoun asked, a hint of a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I'm...gonna go find the queen and apologize on Vanellope's behalf," he said, putting his helmet back on and heading off in the direction he had seen the Queen leave in.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Elsa ran as fast as her legs could take her, the walls around her freezing with every step she took. A couple of guards saw her and immediately stood aside, not wanting to be frozen in another one of her outbursts. They cared for their queen and would do anything to protect her, but they had also learned to be very careful with her whenever she was in a volatile emotional state.

At the end of the hall, one of the guards promptly opened the door to the library and signaled the queen to enter. She instinctively did as signaled and the guard quickly closed the door behind her.

"It's another of those days for the queen, uh?" the guard mumbled lowly to his partner.

"Seems so. Better leave her alone so she can calm her powers down." His partner nodding firmly, they resumed their guarding stances, completely unaware what was heading their way.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"We've gotta find them!" Anna hissed to Kristoff, the pair checking every door up and down the hallway as they looked for the ersatz princess and their snowman friend.

Kristoff looked over his shoulder at the redheaded princess. "Anna, why is this such a big deal? I mean, how else was the kid going to react? From what Elsa told me, you would always give Olaf a hug when you were kids."

"That was different you lunkhead! This is a living Olaf!" She continued opening and closing doors left & right. "God knows what trouble they're going to get into and then Elsa will get blamed and we'll have a war on our hands and then we won't be able to get married because you'll get conscripted and then I'll have to be a war widow and then I'll never get to have beautiful blond-haired babies who call me 'mama' and love me just the way I am and..."

Kristoff grabbed his bride by her arms, shaking her slightly. "Anna! ANNA! Breathe!" he commanded.

Anna forced herself to breathe, trying to calm herself down. Just as she started to see straight again, she heard an amused chuckling. She and Kristoff turned to see Lord and Lady Réparez walking towards them.

Anna reacted first. "Lord Felix, General Réparez," she said while trying to smile sweetly. "Shouldn't you be uhm, waiting in the throne room?"

Lord Felix smiled at her. "No Sirree your highness," he said cheerily. "We've come to help you find the princess and your snowman friend!"

The General laughed wryly. "For all the good it will do us," she said with a smirk. "That girl can't be found if she doesn't want to."

Anna's shoulders sagged at that claim, knowing just how pointless the search was because of the palace's size. She had hidden in hundreds of spots and knew that she had only scratched the surface. "But-but how will we-?"

"She'll come out of hiding when she's good & ready," the blond officer sighed. "Until then, mind if we ask about that ice formation in the throne room?"

Anna and Kristoff both stiffened at that question, beads of sweat forming on both of their foreheads as they worried about completely ruining the trade agreement.

Luckily for them, Lord Felix noticed their discomfort and gave them an apologetic smile. "Please forgive my wife, your majesty," he said. "Believe it or not, we're just worried about Queen Elsa as much as we are Princess Vanellope. Was some kind of witch trying to freeze the Queen in place?"

The couple relaxed at the ambassador's admission, but tensed slightly when he asked about a potential witch. For a moment, the hallway was silent as the grave until Kristoff began rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, not a witch exactly..."

Anna lashed out and punched him in the arm. "Shutup you idiot," she hissed.

Kristoff rubbed his arm, feeling a bruise forming beneath his sleeve. "Look we may as well be honest with them," he defended.

Anna sighed, knowing deep down he was right. She turned to face the two representatives again. "It wasn't a witch," she said quietly. "It was...my sister."

General Calhoun arched an eyebrow at the admittance. "Your sister can control ice?" she asked.

"Something like that, yeah," she replied, her heart already feeling like it was being squeezed.

The Lord and General looked at each other and then back at the couple in front of them. General Calhoun leaned over against the wall, looking the two over with the hint of a smirk on her lips. "Alright kids, you have our attention," she said, as though they were having a polite conversation at dinner.

Kristoff and Anna couldn't believe how nonchalant they were about the whole thing. They were acting as though this was common place. But rather than ask about why they were taking it so well, Anna decided to just start from the beginning. "Well, I guess you could say it all started when Elsa and I were kids..."

-X-X-X-X-X-

Ralph found himself wandering through the halls of Arendelle's palace. As he followed the odd trail of frost that he could only guess the Queen had left behind her, he found himself admiring the works of art hung along the walls as he did so.

'Clyde would love to see all of this stuff,' he thought, thinking of his old friend back in Sugarsia.

He continued walking further and further, nodding to passing guards as he did so, who, either from fear or knowledge of the visiting dignitaries, made no effort to stop him. When Ralph found the trail of ice leading into the room ahead of him, he stopped just short of entering, staring down at the guards in front of him.

"Is Queen Elsa in there?" he asked, trying his hardest not to sound threatening.

The guards nodded crisply, looking as though they were trying to summon the courage to turn him away.

"I'd like to apologize on behalf of my princess's behavior, so if I could, y'know?" he said, sounding unsure.

The guards looked at each other, wondering what they should do. Finally, either from accepting his explanation or just by realizing they couldn't do anything to stop him, one stepped aside and the other followed suit. Ralph nodded his thanks to them and slowly pushed the door open to see how distraught the Queen was.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Argh! What in the world just happened?! And why did it have to happen TODAY?!"

Elsa was pacing the room frantically, her palm pressed against her forehead before she looked down at both of her hands with glaring frustration. "Now they will never trust us because of this godforsaken curse! She took off one of her gloves and threw it at the nearest book shelf, a bit of her residual power causing a small patch of frost on the wooden piece. The walls of the library were completely covered in frost as well, giving testament to the level of anxiety the Queen was feeling.

"Everything was going just fine! But you let your emotions run freely and this is what happens!" she spat as she chastised herself, throwing the other glove to the floor and causing the ice under her feet to grow even more. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She held her hands against the sides of her head as tears began to form in the corners of her closed eyes.

"Uhm...Queen Elsa?" Ralph asked cautiously, poking his helmeted head into the room, taking notice of the frost covered...everything.

Elsa yelped and backed instinctively towards the curtains. "Wha-who is it?" she yelped as she hurried and hid behind the translucent drapery.

Ralph took a deep breath, fearing that he had frightened her. "It's uhm...It's Sir Ralph of Wreckingham your majesty," he said tentatively. "I'm sorry to intrude upon you like this, but I wanted to come and uhm...apologize."

Timidly, she barely poked her head out from the curtain. "A-apologize?" she whispered, sounding unsure. "What would you have to apologize for, Sir Wreckingham?" She was perplexed by the enigmatic knight's curious behavior.

He decided to take a chance and fully entered the library, closing the door quietly behind him. He took a moment to marvel at the sheer amount of ice covering the walls and floor, utterly amazed by the beauty of it all. Shaking his head from his stupor, he pulled his helm off once more and stared earnestly into her icy blue eyes. "Well I...I wanted to apologize on behalf of Princess Vanellope," he said quietly. "I'm sorry about her poor behavior just now."

"What?" Elsa slowly stepped out from behind the drapery, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. She frowned in confusion at the knight. "But she didn't do anything wrong, good Sir." Why was he saying such nonsenses? Why wasn't he more concerned about her powers?

Ralph rubbed the back of his neck with a massive hand. "She's a bit spontaneous and hard to control sometimes, but she means well," he said, looking down at the ice covered floor. "I think she just saw the talking snowman and her little heart leapt for joy."

Elsa's eyes went wide in surprise. "Joy?" she echoed quietly. She then remembered clearly the face of the little princess and how delighted she seemed with Olaf. She hadn't been scared of him: she had seemed bewildered at first, yes, but then she was smiling brightly. "I-I...it's fine...was she...scared after I left?"

Ralph could sense that something was worrying her, but he couldn't quite figure out what. "Not that I could see," he said casually. "From what I saw, your sister took off after both of them while Vanellope and the snowman were hugging. But Vanellope seemed pretty happy the whole time."

Hearing that made Elsa sigh with relief, feeling like she could collapse into her favorite reading chair. "Oh thank God...I thought I had scared her," she said as finally left the curtains completely, wringing her hands anxiously. If the princess hadn't seemed worried about the display of her powers then perhaps there was some hope for the agreement to still go on, though she wasn't so sure about the councilor and the general.

"I would like to also give me apologies to the princess and her party. I didn't mean to...well..." She suddenly noticed how he was looking so intensively at the frozen furniture and felt ashamed. "Please I beg of you, on my behalf, to express my deepest wishes to still continue with our negotiations despite...all this." She swept her arms around her, signaling the frozen room. "I'll understand if you wish for someone else to do this with the princess. My advisors are very trustworthy and I assure you, they will treat her with respect." She turned around and looked out the window sadly, expecting him to take her offer.

Ralph smiled at her in a way that bespoke understanding. "Your majesty, if I know that little girl at all, I know she'll probably still want to conduct this agreement with you after she's done hugging that snowman," he said kindly. "She's not one to really shun people."

Elsa looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes brimming with deep worry. "But...what about Lord and Lady Réparez?"

"Yeah, them too," Sir Ralph shrugged, looking completely nonchalant about the whole thing. "They're not the type of people to turn away from a new partnership either."

Elsa half smiled at that. Perhaps she had chosen the right people to form an alliance with after all. "Thank you...Sir Ralph. You don't know how glad I am for this partnership."

Ralph offered her another smile. "Yeah well, knowing Vanellope, after she spent nearly two weeks aboard the _Jawbreaker_, she just wanted to get out and have some fun. Believe me, she may be young but she wants this trade agreement too."

Elsa's smile widened a little more, but her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Why was she feeling so comfortable talking with this knight? "That makes me very happy to hear," she said as she smiled sincerely at him, her eyes shining like two sapphires in the darkness.

'Well she seems to be relaxing,' he thought with a smile.

After a few moments of silence, Ralph decided to address the elephant in the room. "Uhm...your majesty," he said tentatively. "I don't want to intrude, but is all of this ice from...well, you?"

The queen dropped her smile blushed in embarrassment. "We-well," she stammered as a few pieces of ice fell from the ceiling. She hung her head low as she decided to just tell the truth. "Yes...I'm afraid it is." She hugged her middle and hid her hands. "It's a curse I was born with." Her eyes took an interest on the floor, unable to look him in the eyes.

She was expecting him to gasp or be horrified at her admittance, but he simply gave her a calming smile. "Would you believe me if I told you I understand?" he asked.

Elsa raised her head to look at him through incredulous eyes. "You-you do?" her brow furrowed in confusion.

Ralph decided that the best way to show her how much he understood was through a demonstration. "Your majesty, if you would be so kind, could you open up the doors to that balcony, and then make the hardest wall of ice you can on the balcony?" he asked. At seeing her look of confusion, he simply smiled. "I know that sounds strange, but believe me this has a point."

The queen cocked an eyebrow and after thinking about it for a few seconds she decided it was better not to offend him and just go with whatever he was trying to demonstrate. After all, he too was an honored guest. Besides, she was curious. "Alright," she shrugged and opened the doors of the balcony wide. She looked back at him one last time. Taking a deep breath, she opened both of her palms to produce a strong but short blast of ice. A wall of ice grew tall in front of her in just a few seconds.

Ralph gaped as the ice and frost swirled around the block of ice and made it much thicker, taking on a bluish tint and noticeably more resistant looking. Elsa leaned closer to inspect the surface and proudly confirmed that this block was as hard as the ice in the walls of her ice castle. "Okay Sir Wreckingham," she said as she turned around and looked at him with a doubtful expression, "this is my most resistant type of ice." She still wasn't sure where he was going with this.

Ralph looked at the wall of ice, thoroughly impressed by it. Still, he set his helmet down and began pulling off his metal gauntlets. When he had successfully pulled his hands from them, Elsa couldn't help but marvel at how large his hands truly were. If anything, they looked bigger outside the gauntlets, worn and heavily calloused, but no less strong. Ralph looked at her with a bit of a world weary smile. "You may want to step back a bit," he cautioned, Elsa doing as he instructed.

When he was reasonably certain she was far enough away, the Knight pulled his right arm back as far as it would go before sending a massive fist flying towards the wall. Before Elsa's eyes, the nigh impenetrable wall of ice shattered into snow and crystalline shards, as if they had been naught but glass, and all from Sir Ralph's bare fist.

Elsa gaped, her eyes as big as dinner plates. Her ice was known for being even stronger than stone and yet this mysterious knight had successfully turned it into dust and sparkles. "How-how?!" Her brain just couldn't process just how strong he was.

Ralph flexed his fingers before looking back at the queen. "You're not the only one who was born with a 'gift', your highness," he said.

It suddenly hit her, his significantly larger hands, his sheer size and inhuman strength. "You too?" she gasped. Could it be that this man was also cursed just like her? She had to know more.

"Born or acquired?" she questioned, even as the corner of her lips curled into a curious smile.

"Born," he said simply. "Something of a family curse. My father had them, and so did my gran'da. What they're from we never knew, but we've used them all the same."

Elsa's amused smile grew larger. "I can't believe it," she chuckled lightly. She wasn't the only one after all and the notion made her...happily excited for some reason. "Well I bet yours comes in handy with your profession." She tried to lighten the mood with some levity.

Ralph laughed at that. "Actually, this one it hasn't been so much," he chuckled. "My last one on the other hand..."

"What about it?" He had earned her full attention and curiosity now.

"I wasn't always a knight your highness," he said slowly. "As a matter of fact, I've only been Vanellope's knight for the past two years. Before that, I was what you'd call a mercenary."

Well this knight was indeed full of surprises. "A mercenary?" she parroted, unsure she had heard right. But that couldn't be right: how could a ruthless and merciless mercenary become a knight? It didn't make sense. They didn't share the same codes or values. Sir Wreckingham seemed fearsome indeed but Elsa just couldn't see the mercenary in him.

"Pardon me Sir Wreckingham but I find that difficult to believe," she stated as she walked toward a nearby large couch.

Ralph shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid it is true your majesty," he explained. "Before Vanellope dubbed me as her knight and protector, I worked as a mercenary with a specialty in taking down castles, fortifications and protective walls. While I know I've never killed anyone, I still did a lot of work like that. Even before I met Vanellope, I did try to serve in General Calhoun's Army, but she and I didn't really see eye to eye..."

The Queen found that explanation making much more sense, but her curiosity was growing more and more. "Really? Seems to me that you have one interesting story, Sir Ralph," she said with a grin. Unbeknownst to him, Elsa loved stories about knights.

Ralph's smile perked up at her sudden interest. "Would you...would you like to hear it?" he asked, suddenly feeling very shy.

There was something about him, something that made her feel comfortable. He was a foreign knight who she had just met that day and yet, she felt completely familiar with him. "Well you've piqued my curiosity," she said as she took a seat on the couch, fixing her long purple cape to the side to look more regally. "It simply wouldn't do to leave me wondering about it. I would love to hear the rest of your story."

Ralph seated himself on the rug, stretching out his heavily muscled legs. "Well, I guess to put the whole thing into perspective, it all started one day after I'd returned from a contract..."

-X-X-X-X-X-

**_Alright folks! That's it for this segment! But get ready because we're going into heavy backstory territory next round, wherein I retool the story of Wreck-It Ralph to fit with my universe. Fret not dear readers, for this will still present a funhouse mirror parallel of the film's story, just set in the world and period I've crafted (and give or take a few removed elements). However, there will be no tinkering with _****Frozen's ****_storyline as this story heavily relies on it._**

**_Again, please leave thoughtful reviews. I appreciate your input, reactions, thoughts and conjectures!_**


	3. A Glimpse of the Past

**A/N:** Good evening everyone. I apologize for how long this took but it took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. My original idea would have made this story much longer and would have basically been a flashback description of **Wreck-It Ralph** as it played out in my universe. Instead, I decided to make an abridged version (NAAAAAAIIIIIIL…) that Ralph could tell to Elsa. **HOWEVER, **I am seriously considering writing that adventure out as a separate story all on its own to coincide with this tale. Would any of you kind readers be interested in reading that were I to go ahead and do it? Please leave your thoughts on the matter in your reviews.

That aside, I think some of you will be pleasantly surprised with this chapter. I added a few hooks to ideas about how to incorporate certain aspects of characters and I'm very pleased with what I came up with. Once again, please, please, PLEASE leave thoughtful reviews after you've read through.

And now without further ado, here is the third chapter of **_The Snow Queen's Knight!_**

Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen are © of Walt Disney Animation

**_The Snow Queen's Knight_**

An AU Wreck-It Ralph/Frozen Crossover Tale

Written by

**The Phantom Soldier**

Co-written by

**GND-KicaCris**

**_Chapter 3: A Glimpse of the Past_**

"Wait a moment Sir Ralph," Elsa interrupted. "You're only starting from the middle."

Ralph eyed her with a look of confusion. "What do you mean your highness?" he asked with a touch of uncertainty in his tone.

Elsa blushed slightly, mentally cursing herself for interrupting him so soon. "Forgive me, Sir Ralph, but I'd thought you might begin from your early years and how you came to be a mercenary and then how you came to be Vanellope's knight."

Ralph gulped audibly and shifted in his armor plating. He hadn't had what one would call a normal childhood or adulthood, and he didn't want to let on just how much of a street rat he'd actually been throughout his life. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt the need to impress the queen and keep her in the dark about certain aspects of his life.

"Well, we'll save the details of my childhood for another time, Queen Elsa," he said, though the slight hint of a pout in her eyes struck his heart like an arrow, so he decided to give her a few snippets. "I was born in one of the outlying colonies of Sugarsia called Niceburg, a sort of trading post along a major route, home to mostly working families and a brick tower that could loosely be called a fort. Niceburg was governed by the Réparez family, particularly Lord Felix the First, a sort of man of the people."

Elsa's eyebrows went up in a befuddled stare. "Wait, you said that Lord Felix was governing Niceburg when you were born? But he looks so young!"

The knight suddenly realized his mistake with a bashful grin. "Forgive me your majesty, but I should have mentioned that the Lord Réparez you've met is Lord Felix the Second, the son of Lord Felix the First. You may find it hard to believe, but he and I actually the same age and I did know him when I was a child."

'This story is becoming more and more intriguing,' Elsa thought. Nothing about the knight's story was going along with any of the notions she could have dreamed up. She just had to know more.

"How did you come to know the son of a governor when you were so young?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Well," Ralph began, "like I said, Lord Felix the First was a man of the people and he would often walk through town. He always felt that anyone in a position of power and responsibility should know the people he is responsible for, treating them equally and with dignity no matter the social status. It's a belief that his son has carried on in every aspect."

Elsa nodded along with his story and smiled, taking pride in the fact that others around the world held the same view she had towards being a ruler.

The knight continued on with his story. "Anyway, Felix and I met when I was following my da one morning and we happened upon Lord Felix the First's carriage and horses stuck in the mud. Without even asking, he picked up the carriage, horses and all and set them on solid ground. I met Felix the younger while he was sitting off to the side, trying to fix a toy his father had given him."

Elsa was amazed at the story being told to her, partly from realizing that if the knight before her possessed the same strength as his father, then he truly was a force to be reckoned with. "Did you two become friends from that meeting?" she asked hopefully.

Ralph's face fell a little at that but he quickly recovered. "Well, yes and no," he said uncertainly. "We were certainly on good terms and we would talk if we saw each other on the street, but we always felt more like acquaintances when we were kids. Actually, we didn't become very good friends until we met again two years ago, around the same time I met Vanellope."

'Curioser and curioser,' Elsa pondered, wondering what twists his stories held next.

"Forgive me Sir Ralph," she interjected, "but I'm still having difficulty seeing how you came to be a mercenary. Raised by an honorable father, surrounded by people who were more than helpful…"

The knight took in a deep breath, having readied himself for this eventual line of questioning. Elsa could see his shoulders tense beneath his armor as he dug up his past existence. "For a while, it seemed like I would be everything my da was, your highness," he breathed. "But all that changed when I was ten. My da died in an…accident."

The queen's eyes went wide as she took in his words. "An accident Sir Ralph? What sort of-?"

She was silenced as the knight held up a massive hand. "Please your majesty," he whispered. "I don't like to think about it.

Elsa felt her heart grow heavy with sadness, having inadvertently caused the knight pain. "What of your mother," she asked, but she quickly held her tongue when she saw him tense again. She deduced that that was another story he was not ready to share. She decided on another path. "What happened after your father passed Sir Ralph?"

The knight lifted his head slightly as he attempted to pull himself out of the melancholy of his memories. "I ran," he said quietly. "I ran from Niceburg and didn't look back."

Elsa's heart went out to the knight, feeling a bond forming with him over the pain she still felt from the loss of her own parents. She understood his pain better than most. She had chosen to lock herself away and he had chosen to run from his trouble. She wanted nothing more than to tell him she knew what he'd been through. But she forced herself to be quiet, not quite ready to share that part of her life with him.

"I was sort of a trouble maker growing up after my parents," he continued on, not noticing the look of kinship in her eyes. "Like I told you, these hands and my strength are sort of a family curse that no one remembers how we wound up with, but we all knew was good for one thing: wrecking things."

"By the time I was thirteen, I'd fallen in with a group of other orphans who were like me; lost, alone and just trying to survive when it seemed like the rest of the world just tried to step on us. We were barely scraping by in our lives when we met Clyde."

"Clyde?" Elsa echoed, wondering what kind of man could strike such a resonating chord with the towering knight.

Ralph looked at her with a smile as the details came back to him. "Captain Clyde, privateer and master of the frigate _Sakura_. He's still one of the most intelligent men I know and he took all of us under his yardarm and taught us how to live rather than just survive."

Elsa gulped a little, feeling a little uneasy. She knew the line between privateer and pirate was often very blurry and depended greatly on which side you were on. "And how did Captain Clyde teach you how to live, Sir Ralph?"

Ralph rolled his head around his neck, trying to work the kinks out of it. "Well the first thing he did was teach us writing, reading and arithmetic."

Elsa's interest jumped at the mention of learning such things. She loved to read whenever she had the chance and she was very fond of writing poems whenever the mood struck her. Having been locked away for over a decade had forced her to keep herself entertained somehow. But knowing that the knight before her was well versed in the studies made him all the more intriguing to her and her lips curled into a pleasant smile.

"After Clyde showed us there was more to life than just being angry at the world, he taught us how to make our way in it as gentlemen of fortune and soldiers for hire," Ralph said as he continued his story. "He taught us all we needed to know about fighting on land and sea. And while I know my way around the rigging of a ship pretty well, I still prefer to do my fighting on land. So I started hiring myself out as a mercenary with a specialty in breaking down defensive walls." The knight flexed his fingers as a little display of his strength.

The queen's eyes grew larger as he went deeper into his memories. Her mind drifted with his words and so she began to clearly see the images of his story in her mind's eye.

"And after every contract, all of us would return to our home of Wreckingham," Ralph said, wistfully remembering the place that was his home.

"Sir Ralph, pardon me for interrupting again, but what exactly is Wreckingham?" Elsa asked curiously. She had found the title slightly odd ever since she had first heard it announced in the throne room.

Ralph smiled at her. "Wreckingham is the, pardon my language your highness, bastardized name of an island off the coast of Sugarsia."

Elsa's hand flew to her lips to suppress a giggle, finding the Knight's rough way of speaking oddly refreshing while stoking the blaze of her curiosity. "How is that, Sir Ralph?"

"Wreckingham is an island that holds a natural harbor, but the problem is that to get into the harbor and onto the island at all you have to know where all of the rocks and sandbars are at. While it may be covered in trees and plants, the island's shores and rocks are littered with shipwrecks. Sailors would say they'd rather avoid the place than 'wrecking upon them rocks,' which eventually became 'wrecking them' and finally 'Wreckingham.' But it's for that same reason that it makes such a wonderful place for mercenaries, pirates and privateers to make their home and rest. And that's where I lived."

"Pirates?" Elsa echoed, not sure she had heard right. In the back of her mind was the little girl who loved hearing stories about pirates as well as knights from her father, and right now Elsa was trying to keep her in check.

"Yup, pirates," Ralph said with a smile. "Most of my friends before I met Vanellope were of the sort. Matter of fact, most of them still are and quite a few either have contracts with Sugarsia or are a part of the military. Actually, Captain Clyde is now Admiral Clyde, overseeing the Sugarsian Royal Navy."

"When I first met Vanellope, I didn't know she was the princess and funny enough neither did she," he said. Upon seeing Elsa's look of confusion, he sought to clarify. "Following the death of her parents, she had been forced out of the palace by her maternal uncle, Duke Turbius Candyton. She had a bit of...amnesia following the whole thing. And since she had rarely been outside of the palace, no one outside of her parents and her uncle knew she was the princess. All she knew was her name, that she was eight years old, and that she was wickedly clever."

"Oh my Lord," Elsa gasped, feeling pity for the young princess. "Poor child, that must have been so confusing and awful for her."

"Yeah, well lucky for her that her Uncle wasn't what you'd call a benevolent ruler," he said. "Anyway, when I first met her, she was hiding out in the bogs near the capital and I was returning from a...contract of sorts...and through a series of oddball circumstances she wound up stealing the gold I'd been paid."

"She stole from you? Then why did you decide to help her?" Elsa could tell from the story that the knight in front of her used to be a different man back then and she was curious to know how a mercenary was convinced to help a little unknown girl like Vanellope.

"Well at first I was just trying to get my money back," he admitted bashfully. "But I quickly saw how she was treated like an outsider by the people in Sugarsia. Her own uncle sent the local constables after her when she wouldn't leave. I remember being treated the same way when I was her age. So I figured she needed a friend and I volunteered myself."

"That's so sweet of you," Elsa admitted with her cheeks turning rosy. 'Knight or mercenary, he's truly kind hearted,' she thought dreamily.

Noticing the slight coloring of her cheeks, Ralph looked down, trying to fight his own smile. "I couldn't stand to see her getting picked on like she was so I helped her with what she stole my money for: a race."

"A race? What kind of race?" her attention returned to the story.

"A Horse race," Ralph replied. "Once of Sugarsia's biggest pass times is horse racing, and Vanellope was dead set on getting in the race. She told me she'd pay me back what she 'borrowed' with what she won in the race."

"But-but!" Elsa blurted, feeling a tinge of her maternal instincts kicking in. "Isn't she too young for that?"

"You'd think so, but because it's such a beloved sport everyone starts training very early," he replied. "Vanellope was entering the race made up of other aristocratic children."

"Oh? Why that race specifically?" Elsa found herself becoming more and more curious about Sugarsia the further he went into his story.

Ralph gave her a toothy grin. "Because the stakes are the highest in that one and it draws the biggest crowds. She was set on proving she was somebody, even if she didn't know who."

"Wow," Elsa simply said. Thinking about it silently, Princess Vanellope reminded her of her sister Anna in terms of bravery and determination.

"So after I rescued her from getting locked up and after the debacle of finding her a horse, we made our way back to Wreckingham so she could get some proper training from a few of the cavalry trained residents of the island. But when we got there, so was General Calhoun and Lord Felix, rounding up mercenaries and pirates for a planned uprising." Ralph smiled as he remembered the incongruity of the two of them next to each other. "Of course, this was before they were married. I knew her because I had just… met her a few days previously myself. She's one of Sugarsia's top generals and she commands and elite force of soldiers who are fiercely loyal to her."

"Did they know each other back then? Pardon my curiosity, but they're such a peculiar couple!" She giggled at her own question.

Ralph laughed, not at her curiosity but at the fact she'd pointed out what most folks thought. "They had actually met the day before and Felix was swooning over her. She actually warmed up to him later, but the point was that they were planning a coup following the race. They both knew something was fishy about Candyton's ascension to the throne and they weren't having anymore of his tyranny. Moreover, a few of the neighboring kingdoms had a feeling he was planning he was going to expand the empire so they threw in some support as well. So everything came together."

"How heroic of them!" Elsa cheered.

"So the day finally came, Vanellope entered the race and won it all hollow," Ralph said, beeming with pride as he remembered the day. "She won over the crowd and the hearts of the people. Only thing is, Candyton didn't feel like paying up and made his move to imprison her. That's when the revolt started. I won't go into details, but Candyton was deposed and fled to the sea, Vanellope regained her memory and to thank me for helping her, she named me her Knight and guardian."

Elsa gaped in front of him and blinked silently a couple of times. "What a story!" The Snow Queen tried very hard to not look overly excited after hearing such an epic story, but she was really a fan of heroic stories.

"You," she blushed suddenly, "you really are a hero...Sir Ralph." Her eyes sparkled with admiration. She felt completely small and insignificant in front of him, even though she was a queen and all.

Ralph fought to keep the blush out of his cheeks. "You're too kind your majesty," he said. "I didn't need to be a hero. But that little girl's grown on me."

As the two continued with their banter, neither had noticed that the ice on the walls and floor had dissipated in its near entirety.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"Think we lost her?" Vanellope asked breathlessly to her partner in crime.

Olaf, also trying to catch his breath, looked over to his new friend. "I think we have," he panted. "Anna's great but she can get pretty scary sometimes. I think we should be safe if we hide in the library." Still holding Vanellope's hand, he started pulling her in the direction of the library.

As they walked through the halls, Vanellope started letting her curiosity get the best of her. "Sooooo Olaf... How are you alive anyway?" she asked, neglecting all attempts at tact.

Luckily for her, Olaf was delightfully oblivious to questions that would offend anyone else. "Oh Elsa made me! She made me, another giant snowman, a whole palace made out of ice, and last year she accidentally turned summer into winter..."

Vanellope's eyes went as round as plates of fine china. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa, back up a second," she said incredulously. "You're telling me QUEEN Elsa can make snow whenever she wants? Like magic?!

"Yup!" Olaf replied, shaking his head in the affirmative.

Possibilities upon possibilities began flashing before Vanellope's eyes. "We have to find her...like now," was all she could say to contain herself.

Olaf tapped his chin in thought, wondering where they could find Elsa. "Well, if I know Elsa, she'll probably go to her library after the meeting is over so we can just wait for her there once we get there."

"Sounds like a plan snowman!" Vanellope chirped in excitement, still overjoyed by the fact that she was now partners with a kingdom that had such an awesome queen.

Just as they were about to round a corner, Olaf quickly stopped her and pushed her back.

"Hey what's the big idea?" she hissed, not liking the sudden interruption.

Olaf held a wooden finger up to his nonexistent lips as he pointed around the corner. Vanellope carefully poked her head around and saw two guards standing in front of a large wooden double door.

"If they spot us they'll give us away to Anna," he whispered, looking a little frightened at the prospect of facing his friend the princess.

Vanellope gave him a devilish smirk. "Those two?" she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "Olaf, it's time you learned how to make a distraction...Sugarsian style."

Before Olaf could ask what she meant she tapped her feet together beneath her skirt and he heard something hit the carpet. When she stood back and picked it up, he saw she had produced a slingshot and a sack of what he could only guess were tiny stones.

When she reached into the bag and withdrew three of the round objects inside, he could see they weren't stones, but little blue balls. Before he could even ask, she nestled all three into the leather pad of the slingshot and drew it back a fair degree. Closing one of her eyes, she aimed down the hallway and whispered ever so quietly, "Three...two...one...Glitch!"

She released the strap and the three spheres were sent flying down the hall. They landed at the feet of the two guards and burst open in a dazzling display of blue and white sparkles, momentarily blinding and disorienting the guards who began stumbling around.

Vanellope took that moment and pulled Olaf around the corner, nearly yanking his arm out of its snowy socket. The two new friends dodged the bumbling guards and made their way to the doors, opening them and scurrying in before the guards even knew they were there.

"Whew! We made it Olaf," Vanellope said triumphantly as she began turning around. "We made it safe and- Eek!" Her eyes went wide as she found herself staring at her knight and the Queen of Arendelle...

...neither of which seemed to have noticed her and Olaf's entrance as they looked like they were currently having a gooey-eyed staring contest with each other.

She was almost tempted to leave them be, but it was not in the cards as Olaf opened his mouth. "HI GUYS! We were just talking about you!"

The knight and the queen were shaken from their trance and looked away, a very becoming blush colouring Elsa's cheeks while Ralph took an interest in the view through the window.

Elsa quickly fixed herself into her usual regal demeanor. "Olaf? Princess Vanellope? Wha-what are you doing here?" she asked nervously as she quickly stood up from the sofa.

"We're hiding from Anna!" Olaf said happily. Vanellope had her eyes locked on her knight as a crooked grin made its way across her face.

Elsa giggled nervously, knowing how her sister was. "That's all well and good Olaf, but why didn't the guards announce you?"

Before Vanellope could tell Olaf to be quiet, he blurted out the truth once more. "Oh Elsa, it was so neat! Vanellope distracted the guards with these blue sparkle things so we could sneak past without them going and finding Anna!"

At the mention of 'blue sparkles' Ralph's head turned and his eyes zeroed in on Vanellope, who quickly hid her slingshot and sack behind her back and tried to look as innocently adorable as possible.

"Vanellope," he said lowly and evenly. "Were you using the Glitch on the guards outside?"

"Who me?" she asked, trying to look incredulous. "Nah, why would I do that? C'mon Ralph, it's ME we're talking about." In trying to proclaim her innocence, she had pressed the slingshot against her chest, which quickly gave the game away.

"Glitch?" Elsa arched an eyebrow in confusion and turned to her side to look at the knight who was now scolding the young princess.

For a moment, Ralph forgot his mounting ire and turned to look at the Queen. "Sorry your Majesty. In Sugarsian lore, there's a mischievous sprite of the forest and bogs known as the Glitch, who appears and disappears in a burst of blue and white sparkles. When Vanellope was living on her own, she figured out how to make a little distraction that created the same effect, allowing her to 'appear' and 'disappear' whenever she wanted. People all over were convinced she WAS the Glitch."

Vanellope bowed extravagantly, glad to know she had an audience. "Thank you, thank yo."

Elsa blinked for a few seconds and to everyone' surprise, her lips curled into a smile. "Really? Can you show me how you do it, Princess Vanellope?"

Vanellope smiled but it quickly turned lopsided as an idea struck her mind. "Sure I can show you, but only if you promise to turn summer into winter again!"

The Queen's smile dropped in an instant and her expression turned pale across her lovely features. "Wha-what?"

"Vanellope!" Ralph hissed, not liking his princess's demanding attitude. "That's very rude and I don't think Queen Elsa has that ability."

"But Olaf said she did it last year Ralph!" Vanellope pleaded. "Please please please Queen Elsa?"

"You did what?!" It was now Elsa's turn to scold at the snowman. "Olaf!"

Olaf flinched, not used to hearing Elsa sounding angry. "Well she seemed so happy about all of the magic snow so I just told her," he said innocently

Elsa sighed, trying to fight down her anger. She didn't like being angry at anyone, least of all the people she loved."I'm sorry, princess but I can't do what you're asking me to do," she sighed as she smiled apologetically at Vanellope. "I didn't do that on purpose last year and to be honest I... don't think my people will appreciate having an unexpected winter while being on the middle of summer...again..." Her smile turned nervous once again.

For the second time that day, Vanellope looked crestfallen. "Alright..." she said dejectedly.

As much as Ralph wanted to be mad at her, he also couldn't stand to see her so down. "Queen Elsa," he said quietly. "I am sorry about Vanellope's enthusiasm, but isn't there something you could do?"

Elsa looked down at the young princess, feeling her heart going out to her. "Well...I suppose I could make the floor of the ballroom icy like when Anna and I were children..."

Vanellope's eyes brightened up like stars in the night and without a second thought she loaded five pellets into her slingshot.

"Just keep your eyes on the door your highness," she said with a grin. But just as her finger slipped the leather strap, the doors opened up.

"Elsa? Are you in here?" came the unmistakable voice of Princess Anna.

-X-X-X-X-X-

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